New leadership for the Urban Land Institute’s Americas region

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) announced a new chairman and a new president for its Americas region, which serves the Institute’s members in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The mission of ULI is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.

Global Board member and ULI Treasurer John R. “Jack” Chandler, founder of Majesteka Investments Holdings and CIO and board member for Reterro, and former managing director and chairman of BlackRock’s global real estate business in New York City, has been named chairman of the Americas region, a volunteer role that includes service as chairman of the Americas Executive Committee. He and his fellow committee members will lead the implementation of ULI’s Strategic Plan for the Americas region, which is part of the Global Strategic Plan approved by the Institute’s global board of directors in May 2018. The plan’s priorities include delivering greater member value through investments in people and technology to improve member connections and involvement; strengthening and broadening ULI’s member networks; and encouraging more philanthropic giving to expand ULI’s reach.

Multifamily industry leader Gwyneth Jones Cote, who most recently served as chief operating officer for Bell Partners, has joined ULI’s staff as the president of the Americas region. She will work closely with Chandler and the Americas Executive Committee, as well as ULI’s global leadership and staff to ensure that the Institute maximizes member engagement in the Americas region through the implementation of the Strategic Plan. She will also make certain that ULI’s work in the Americas aligns with the Institute’s work in the Europe and Asia Pacific regions, and that it reinforces a culture of philanthropy that results in more resources to support ULI’s mission-driven activities.

Chandler succeeds Patricia Healy, principal of Hyde Street Holdings in Raleigh, N.C., in the Americas chairmanship.

A ULI member for more than 25 years, Chandler is a longtime member of ULI’s Product Council member network, including his current service as vice chairman of the Sharing Economy Council, which is focused on the confluence of traditional real estate and new business platforms.

Chandler’s career has provided opportunities for involvement with ULI’s global expansion, specifically in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2011, he held various executive positions with LaSalle Investment Management for 25 years, including service as the global chief investment officer and executive chairman for the firm’s Asia Pacific region.

“Real estate investing and operations have become increasingly global in the last couple of decades, and that is something ULI has mirrored as it has expanded into other regions and countries,” said Chandler. “Many of the issues our members are focusing on transcend borders, and it is inspiring to see ULI evolving into a platform that fully supports their work.”

Cote, who served as Bell Partners chief operating officer from 2013 until the end of 2017, was responsible for a team of more than 1,400 employees and approximately 60,000 multifamily units. Prior to her service at Bell Partners, she consulted for several years to private real estate companies. Cote began her real estate career in 1989, joining the mid-Atlantic division of Trammell Crow Residential after receiving her master of business administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. She remained with Trammell Crow as it evolved into Avalon Properties and AvalonBay Communities. She served 15 years with AvalonBay Communities (and its predecessor companies), concluding her career as a senior vice president, responsible for property operations of 19,000 apartment units located east of the Mississippi River. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College.